EDITORS NOTE: NOVEMBER

Hello November, you didn't sneak up on us but it feels like you did... regardless, we're going to roll with the punches and power through you. November feels like the end of 1/4 of a marathon. I distinctly remember thinking to myself last November that all we had to do as a people was get through the next four years, that we could make it. And here we are, one year into the pure madness and sensationalism that has been 45 and his administration... I know you all must fee like you've been in a circus. Trying to walk a tight rope and find balance while there's all sorts of crazy going on around you.

But as we put year one into the history books — both the physical and the emotional kind, I encourage ya'll to rewind and roll through the film of what we've experienced. Because it has been TRAUMATIC. And like any other trauma, we will need serious emotional counseling to come out on the other end where there is light. 

I am so thankful for my girlfriends and my beloved boyfriend for allowing me to share, cry, and vent about the things we've seen in the news, both domestically and internationally. We are without a doubt, at a pivotal point in the human existence and the human experience. And although it has felt like the end of the world a few times this past year  since election night 2016, the end is no where near. What that means is that it is time to catch that second wind and get to the 2nd check point (November 2018 Midterms) MOB. 

I've never been as politically active as I have been in the past 3 years of my adult life, and frankly I still don't know as much as I'd like to. Don't let your lack of knowledge deter you from getting involved and caring. As long as you give a fuck about your hood, your well being, and setting up future generations for success — then you have all the motivation you'll need. No act is too small. From calling your Senator to putting your homegirl on to some new fuck shit the government is trying to pull, being active in politics looks different for everyone.

This month at TGM we're focusing on politics because that word is no longer something that is only discussed by elitists or people taking political science classes. The more we learn and pay attention to, the better equipped we are to fight the policies that have kept POC from reaching the mountain top as a unit. So read up, spread the word and show up, we have high expectations of you MOB.

For now I leave you with one of my favorite tracks off of one of my top 10 albums. 

Peace & Light

Yari B.

illustration by: Waking Illustration